Siding tool



vMam-h 3o, 1948.

Filed 001'.. 29, 1946 EEE- l l E. z; //4 n A527 I /7 I JNVENTOR.

E BY Patented Mar. 30 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SIDING TOOL MiloRifenberg, Constantine, Mich.

Application October 29, 1946, Serial No. 706,290

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to what is known as a siding tool, and moreparticularly to a tool of the type used when applying sheathing orsiding to studding. In the building trade, where it is necessary to uselong runs of lumber, especially of the tongue and groove type, and tosecure the same to studding, the problem presents itself of not onlykeeping the boards level, but tight before nailing. This is especiallytrue today when so much lumber used in the building of homes, etc., isgreen and tends to warp and spread apart as it dries out The principalobjectl of the present invention is to provide a new and improved toolfor use when applying siding, or the like, to studding to enable theuser to quickly secure the tool to the stud near to the point where heis about to place his nails, or other securing means, and hold the boardor sheathing in tight relationship with the one immediately below samebefore securing the board to its supporting stud.

In modern building practice, especially when erecting homes orgarages-it is standard practice to use the well-known two-by-four as aspaced support forthe siding or sheathing used in this type ofconstruction. I have provided a standard rigid member adapted to engagea two-by-four quickly which in turn eliminates the necessity of manuallyadjusting the same, which consumes too much time when engaged in modernproduction building practice.

The tool has but two moving parts and the user is not hampered by havingto lock the tool in position, but has simply to use one hand to applyforce to an adjacentI lever while starting his nail into the siding andhence the studding.

The above and other objects will appear more fully from the followingmore detailed description, and from the drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the tool securedto a stud and themanner in which the siding engaging shoe engages the siding to besecured to its studding.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the tool per se,

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the tool, and

Fig. 4 is a view of a shoe for use with the tool when the lumber used isnot of the tongue and groove type.

Referring now to the drawing the numeral I designates a member forclamping or securing the tool to a stud IVI. The member I0 is formed ofa bar of steel having its end portions turned inwardly to form legs I2adapted to slide over the ends of the ordinary two-by-four studding andthe clamping member acts as a brace for the tool per se. Rigidlysecured, as bywelding, or the like, to the flat side of clamping memberI, there `is provided a flat bar I3 which extends out beyond the at sideof the clamping member I0, the same being adapted to pivotally support alever I4 by means of a nut and bolt I5. A tongue engaging block or shoeI6 is provided, the same being morticed, as at I1, to allow lever I'4 topass therethrough and to be moved freely upon said lever to the positiondesired when in use. Block I6 is further grooved, as at I8, so that thegroove may contact tongue I9 on board 20. The blocks areinterchangeable, and, as shown best in Fig. 4 of the drawing, block :2lis identical with block I6 with the exception that in place of thegroove, for use with tongue and grooved lumber, it is kerfed, as at 22,for use with lumber without the tongue and groove.

The manner in which the device is used is as follows:

When attaching siding to its studding the user simply secures his firstrun of boards down to the iioor joists, and as he starts his next runimmediately above same, before driving his nails home into any onevertical stud, working from left to right, he secures the tool to thestud immediately above where the nails will enter the board beingsecured to said stud, clamping member Ill and legs I2 fitting neatlyabout the stud, as shown in Fig. 1, and if the board to be driven homeis tongue and grooved, the type shoe shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 Will beused, the shoe being slid upon lever I4 until it is in position to seatupon tongue I9 and groove I8 engage the same. Bar I3 being rigidlysecured to member I 0 and lever I4 being pivotally mounted thereon as atI5, the nut and bolt I5 provide a, fulcrum for lever I4 and, as pressureis brought to bear on the outer end of lever I4, by the user with onehand, the board to be nailed is forced tightly against the boardimmediately underneath, and while held in this position by means of shoeI6, the

user drives at least one nail home through the board and into the stud.He can then release the pressure on the lever I4, as the board 20 isset, and finish hammering home the desired number of securing nails.This procedure is followed all along the board, the tool being movedfrom stud to stud as needed-the tool having either right or left action,the same may be used on eitherside of the stud. If the siding lbeingapplied is not tongue and grooved, the user simply changes shoes, usingthe type shoe 2| shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing, wherein the shoecontacting surin practical operation, it will be understood that y theinvention is not limited to specific constructional details shown anddescribed, but that many changes, variations and modications may beresorted to Without departing-from the prin! ciples of my invention.

I claim:

A siding tool of the character described for use 20 in exerting pressureupon siding before securing same to its studs, comprising means'for con-4 tacting astud, said means comprising a, U-shaped member, a bar rigidlysecured to said U-shaped member and extending outwardly therefrom, alever pivotally mounted upon the outwardly extending portion of saidbar, a morticed siding contacting shoe slidable upon said lever, saidshoe being formed to contact said siding While pressure is being appliedto said lever.

v MILO RIFENBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 607,567 Jordan July 19, 1898654,365 Stowell et al. July 24, 1900 911,404 Harris Y Feb. 2, 1909981,871 Moen June 17, 1911

